The philosophy of Jake Haiden (late Jacob K. Huff) : $b selected from the columns of the Reading Times, Reading, Pennsylvania : with a biographical appreciation by his friend Henry W. ShoemakerHuff, Jacob K.
Philosophy
The philosophy of Jake Haiden (late Jacob K. Huff) : $b selected from the columns of the Reading Times, Reading, Pennsylvania : with a biographical appreciation by his friend Henry W. Shoemaker
Huff, Jacob K.
American essays; Huff, Jacob K., 1851-1910
Poor Jack was awfully broken up over the affair, and would have gone away
with his broken heart, but he was foreman and couldn’t leave his employer
until after the drive was out of the creek. For two months previous to
the spring flood Rhoda did not speak to Jack, but spent a great many
Sundays playing checkers with Walter in the big dining room, and her
merry laughter went straight to poor Jack’s heart. He had given her up,
but his love for her was greater than ever before.
The day the flood came, and they were starting the big jams of logs far
up the creek, Rhoda stood on the high bank near the camp to watch the
logs sluice through the narrow channel; for at this point the creek cut
through a rise of ground, with banks of red clay on both sides rising as
much as twelve feet above the water. It was very exciting to watch the
great logs dart through this narrow channel and pitch over the falls 200
feet further down the stream.
While she watched, a great mass of logs came sweeping down the stream and
jammed at the head of the narrow channel. Other logs piled up against
the jam. Then the men came and boldly walked out on the tumbled jam and
tried to pry it loose with their cant hooks. All at once the great jam
started, and the men ran back over the logs to a low place in the bank
and came ashore. No, not all the men came ashore, for Walter Jackson made
a mis-step and fell with one leg pinned between two logs.
It was lucky for Walter that the jam stopped before reaching the falls,
for he was unable to extricate himself, and would surely have gone over
and lost his life. Even now he must have assistance before the jam
started again, which was sure to occur, for the water was rising so fast
behind the logs that it must surely break loose in a few minutes. The
danger was so great that none of the men would venture on the jam again,
and Walter was given up by those who stood helplessly on the bank and
waited for the end.
At this moment Jack Cleveland came upon the scene and saw his rival lying
helplessly out on the logs. Did a gleam of triumph flash through his
heart? No one will ever know, for Rhoda came up to him and shouted in his
ear: “Can you save him, Jack?” Ah, did he catch a gleam of the old time
love in her blue eyes? And was it this that urged him on?
Taking a cant hook from one of the men, he leaped down upon the creaking
and surging logs and carefully walked down to where Walter lay. With a
strong pry on the log that pinned his rival fast, he parted the logs,
then took hold of the prostrate man and lifted him to his feet. But his
leg was injured so badly that Walter could not walk. Dropping his cant
hook, Jack picked Walter up and staggered with his heavy load toward the
bank. The men reached down and took Walter by the arms and were lifting
him to safety when the great jam started. They saved Walter, but Jack was
moving on with the logs!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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